B. Lentz-Own The Moment

Own The Moment

Metadata

Highlights

My greater concern in my own life, and for anybody who picks up this book, is that if you build a pattern of missing moments that don’t appear to be significant, you will miss out on what builds a life that leads to many huge moments, connections, relationships, and experiences. — location: 148

I am an example of what God can do with somebody who is not amazing but available. Open to being used. Interested in being challenged. Resigned to living a life that is continually out of my comfort zone. It’s not easy, it’s just better. — location: 259

The prison of potential has an unlocked door that keeps a lot of people stuck in it. — location: 275

Please remind yourself that nobody is interested in your potential. Potential has never changed the world. I don’t think the God who created you is interested in your potential. I think the God that I believe in is not on the search for “perfect” people. He’s on the search for “available” people. — location: 284

Maybe it’s time you start surprising people with what they didn’t expect from you. — location: 286

Often, what we say can become what we see in our lives. Build a habit of speaking what is right, what is positive, what is healthy even in the face of extreme opposition or negativity. It’s more than a positive confession—it’s an anchor for your life that won’t allow what happens to you to change what comes through you. — location: 291

If we don’t constantly make an effort to break away from the defaults in our own lives—the way we think, the way we love, the way we treat other people—it is a one-way ticket to a life that impacts no one. — location: 304

If you don’t like where you sit today, there was a setting that led you there. — location: 312

Be careful you don’t just accept where you are headed because that’s the only place you have ever known. — location: 318

But reset nonetheless. It’s never too late to make a move. It’s never too late to start treating people different. — location: 330

The catch is that nobody else can change your settings but you. — location: 331

the difference between people who are effective and people who are not is this: Will you use your story, or will your story use you? When you reflect on your life, what do you remember most? Do you look back and think about all the misses and all the mistakes and all the stuff you didn’t do? — location: 412

Being victimized by your past is when you think more about who you used to be and what you used to do more than who you are right now and who you can become tomorrow. — location: 417

Where our past is our main attraction, the key narrative in our story, I actually believe that, if used correctly, it can be a catalyst in our story, one that creates bridges into new territory that we couldn’t have reached in any other way. — location: 421

“spiritual past dysmorphia” — location: 432

“spiritual selective amnesia”— — location: 435

Our perspective on our past holds so much power that we need to take control over it, make sure we own it. And that it does not, in fact, own us. — location: 443

Those moments are permanent. But the power they have over your life does not have to be. Pick one, begin to see how you can use it instead of how it continues to use you, and slowly but surely your narrative can change. Own your past. Don’t let it own you. — location: 480

Because the truth is, my life did not end with those failures. My opportunities to come did not stop because of opportunities wasted. When I do talk about my failures, it will only be to use them as encouragement to remind others what is possible for them. Because I’m still standing. What used to be wounds in my life are now weapons. — location: 484

Will you allow your reflection to be your protection? — location: 487

It’s your right to exercise this same principle in your life. But like all rights, it means nothing unless exercised. — location: 509

Staring in that rearview mirror for too long can be deadly. The road that lies in the wake of your life thus far is littered with lessons. But they are not leashes. Feel free to own the road that has yet to be paved in your life. — location: 513

Don’t focus on what has not happened in your life. Focus on what still can happen. True leaders don’t live in the past. They may glance at it to learn from it, but the future is too important to waste a moment thinking about what can’t be changed. — location: 518

I tell people all the time that there are enough real things in this life to fear that we don’t need to compound the issue by making up even more things to potentially be afraid of. — location: 531

If Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” — location: 559

But taking small steps puts you in a position to realize: I actually have more control over this than I think I do. — location: 606

Every fear is compounded in moments where you think failure rules the day. Remember that. Let each failure stand or fall on its own. They are not always linked. — location: 634

I would rather die proving a fear right than live never testing the waters because fear talked me into staying in a boat that was actually floating in two feet of water. No way. — location: 655

Since fear breeds more fear, primarily in isolation, the best thing we — location: 665

can do to overcome it is “call for backup.” The moment we talk about what scares us, it begins to lose its power on our lives. Sometimes all we need is another set of eyes on a situation to remind us that we can get through anything. Those who walk alone, fall alone. But those who surround themselves with strength are always strengthened. Choose a relationship you trust, be vulnerable and open, and be prepared to live a life marked by faith, not fear. — location: 665

There is more gold in the garbage, to be sure. Gold in the form of people who have been written off due to bad decisions. Gold in the form of ideas that perhaps one person said couldn’t work but if another set of eyes looks at it could be an idea that changes the world. — location: 705

There is, without a doubt, a relationship in your life that has more good in it than you realize. Take inventory, look at your life with “fresh — location: 773

eyes,” and see what gold you can find hiding in plain sight. — location: 774

I’ve seen idealistic people think, “I’m not ready for a serious relationship, so I’ll just date and look around, and although this relationship isn’t the best or super serious it’s cool because I’m not ready for that anyway.” This simply leads many into a not-serious serious relationship. There are no placeholder relationships. The — location: 790

one you are in is making you better or worse, as the broken record spins out of control on that statement. — location: 792

You don’t really get to know somebody until after real commitment is made. After some time, some battles, some wins and losses. — location: 801

My point in saying all of this is that what we think makes us ready is making us more “unready.” We rush important things that can make us better, because of these myths. — location: 816

I always say you need to date somebody long enough to firstly let a cycle of medication wear off. Go on a date with somebody for an entire day. Secondly, date somebody for the entire calendar of seasons. — location: 817

Perhaps the people who are “ready” simply seem that way because they have embraced a comfortable peace with a state of “unready.” Meaning, they are not waiting to “feel perfect” before they step into something. They are not overlooking amazing people who have flaws and deeming them “unready” either. — location: 824

Brian said, “Ready? Who told you ‘ready’ had anything to do with it? Plus, you are right about one thing: You are a mess. But you’re under construction. You will be until you die.” Brian Houston and subtlety are not friends, at all. — location: 837

She’s too secure to waste any time.” — location: 843

Maybe being emotionally ready really comes down to being emotionally honest. — location: 849

Being financially ready comes down to what values you have, not how many valuables you possess. — location: 854

time. I have to wake up tomorrow and learn about her. Listen to her. Investigate the love of my life. To find out what I need to do to make her feel more loved every day. — location: 862

You may not be where you want to be right now, but I can almost guarantee that you are not where you used to be. — location: 867

Waiting to be ready can become a robbery. It can steal the joy of a new faith-step and the confidence you can only gain from taking risks and stepping out into the unknown. — location: 875

I have had to teach myself to not ask God to deliver me from my own prayer requests. I’m guilty of asking God to “use my life” and then complaining to Him down the road, — location: 890

There is a blessing mixed into anything that could potentially look like a burden. — location: 922

I have gotten into a habit of saying “I know God is going to use this” when I’m faced with something that seems less than ideal. And what started as a problem ends up being a true blessing. “I have to” is a burden mindset. “I get to” is a blessing mindset. — location: 923

What somebody else is complaining about, I want to be rejoicing about. Choose blessing over burden, wherever you can. — location: 945

If your worth, your status, and your value are not separated from your vocation or employment definition, it’s going to be impossible to deal with the changes that inevitably come at us all in this life. — location: 968

We are so used to giving people value because of a title, we have forgotten that it’s people who actually give value to titles. — location: 969

I wasn’t going to get caught up in overlooking what I could do because I was enamored of what I wanted to do next. I wasn’t going to go through any motions, because the opportunity right in front of me was worth my time. — location: 979

And you fill your pockets with good intentions until there is no more room. — location: 990

I’m not interested in “the right place at the right time.” I’m focused on “all the time, all the places.” — location: 1031

Influence and significance are not found in position or title. They’re found in passion and intentional living. — location: 1044

Occupy your street today with passion, and it will undoubtedly lead to a highway of opportunity. — location: 1046

Insecurity keeps you talking, because you are afraid of what the “silence” might actually expose. If you’re good at something, it’s going to show. Truly secure people thrive in the shadows because they know their time is going to come. — location: 1061

If you can’t take big risks, if you can’t step out into new things freely, if you can’t give away what you have quickly and readily because you’re not certain you can get more? Then you have insecurity issues that are affecting your ability to create true change in this world. I want to be a leader and a husband and a pastor who is so secure that I can love quickly, give generously, and forgive freely because I know where my life is anchored. — location: 1099

The principle in action here is remembering where your source is, because if you can’t give it away, you never really had it anyway. — location: 1107

This is true security. I will give away my best ideas. Because I know where to find more. — location: 1118

Do the exact opposite of what insecurity tells you to do. Cheer for somebody who is winning when you’re tempted to tear them down. Reach out to the person who you wish would reach out to you. When comparison creeps in, remind yourself that you are content — location: 1127

simply being you. Insecurity’s grip on your life is not as tight as you may imagine. — location: 1129

Sometimes we have to learn how to not look so far ahead we miss the fact that what we have is worth looking at. — location: 1165

If you wake up to the realities in your life, maybe you will stumble upon something you didn’t even know you were passionate about. What was the pursuit of one dream can become the reality of living out many opportunities if you choose to awaken to all the possibilities God has placed in your path. — location: 1202

But when I study my heroes and even look at my own journey? I realize that what somebody is “known for” almost pales in comparison to what they did to actually get there. — location: 1226

But there would not be a wasted moment. I think we have so many moments in our lives that, if we allow frustration or fatigue to minimize them, almost like a “this moment isn’t even worthy of a photo” mentality, there is no way we can effectively do or be who we are called to be. Just because our days at times look unspectacular doesn’t mean that something supernatural is not around the corner. — location: 1251

I have been content my whole life to make peace with even the crack of an “opportunity window,” while other people I have known are waiting anxiously for the big door of opportunity. I have never had time for that, and I have realized over time that sometimes the open window is a better place from which to enter a giant house of opportunity anyway. — location: 1258

Don’t let days or seasons when you feel like you are in constant shadow rob you of the reality that sunlight is truly on the way. Sometimes there are days when nobody else is going to believe your life is headed in the right direction. As long as you believe it? Let them think what they want. You get to choose what kind of day, what kind of attitude you’re going to have. — location: 1295

One of the best ways to make it through “your process” as you grow and gain ground in your own life is making sure somebody else is involved. — location: 1308

We need to be voraciously vigilant about where we get our information from and who we get it from, or else we might look back someday and realize we have poured blood, sweat, and far too many tears into a direction or cause or passion that actually had zero impact on people and the world we are called to change. — location: 1335

What I actually do for a living is secondary to who I am and where I am headed. That is an important distinction to make in this life. Often what we do will not match who we are. Your job or label might be undervalued by some. But if you know where you are headed, if you know why you are here, you end up bringing value to your vocation rather than vice versa. — location: 1339

Knowledge can lead you to the door. Wisdom opens it and walks you through it. — location: 1352

Knowledge is facts or information gathered through experience. Wisdom is knowledge applied. — location: 1353

Do you know where you are headed? Maybe the more important question is: Do you know who sent you? Because if you trust the “who,” the “where” is far more bearable when you face seasons of uncertainty. — location: 1388

Living with purpose is a mentality. We can achieve our purpose in any scenario if we trust the plan and who created the plan in the first place. — location: 1390

That time is fleeting, our culture is moving extremely fast, and some things in this life you have to literally hold on to, savor, and cherish, because “being present” just might be the most valuable state of being in our lives. — location: 1404

It’s one thing to be “around” something; but to be in it and to live it changes how you feel about it drastically. — location: 1406

Make the choice to slow down today, at some point, and enjoy what’s around you. — location: 1455

Because so many times in this life we can’t change our actual situation. But we can change the way we look at it, and sometimes the difference is life and death. — location: 1462

Reflect on what you face. Respond to it with intention and confidence. Rest in the aftermath knowing you did all you could do—and move on. Sometimes it’s the simple things that help us navigate out of the most seemingly complex situations. — location: 1535

But that’s the thing about our lives: Most of the things that will take us out, we are not going to see them coming on our own. — location: 1573

What a shame it is to see somebody never go forward in life because the poison of what has happened has paralyzed them from the promise and future that is yet to come. — location: 1597

But that’s what the poison of failure will do. It produces a fear of what can be, because the failure of what has been becomes shackles on your feet. — location: 1603

But you can’t miss Lenya’s gravesite. Because they take food coloring and draw pictures with it, splash color all over it, just to remember that in the midst of extreme pain, we can still choose to write on top of it whatever we want. — location: 1627

That’s the thing about owning hard times. We don’t have to “forget.” We do have to change what we remember. — location: 1640

Each time you are faced with looking at something that very well could poison your entire life, remember this: Poison needs permission. We have to give people and situations the right to affect us deeply. We can’t avoid bad things, hurtful people, and negative circumstances, but that does not mean we have to allow the permanency of — location: 1653

the effect to take root. — location: 1655

Own the soundtrack to your own soul. — location: 1658

So if you truly believe that your life matters and how you feel in private will absolutely affect how you perform and serve and step out in public, maybe it’s time to reevaluate how easily you let things get close to your heart. — location: 1664

People actually don’t think about you nearly as much as you think they do. — location: 1697

When you find people who are enjoying life, making the most of their days, these people did not wake up and think, Well, who can I impress today? No way. Those people, the kind of person I endeavor to be? They wake up and say, I’m going to make a difference today. Somehow, someway. If people like it, they can join me. If people don’t, they can watch me. But that will not affect me. — location: 1701

Maybe knowing what we can’t do is almost as powerful as knowing what we can do. — location: 1792

I’ve heard it said that the space between what we say and what we do is who we really are. — location: 1792

Things in our lives change when we make decisions that shut the door on any other possible exit. — location: 1824

But guess what? If I make that little decision? It will lead to another. And another. And now my inspiration has fueled my actual life. Not just my dream world. — location: 1843

I think it begins with demanding change from yourself. And you can start with your spiritual appetite. If you are going to change, if I am going to change what I see going on outside of me, it’s going to start with what I am doing to get better, to change my soul, at the core of the inside of me. — location: 1844

peace. I desire peace in a major way, but I don’t want to live a life free of pressure. Because that also means a life free of impact. I just don’t want the pressure I deal with to crush me. — location: 1860

We have all had these days, where it seems like if it’s gotten bad, at least you have worse to look forward to. — location: 1874

It’s a painful twist to something that probably wasn’t even your fault in the first place. But we can’t allow our sick culture of shallow relationships to seep into our adult, growing lives. — location: 2078

If you hold the door open for people in New York? They are shocked. — location: 2085

I’m still friends with that guy to this day. He didn’t “need” my shoes. It wasn’t charity. It was just something that should happen. — location: 2097

Be the kind of friend you want to have. Sounds simple, but many people miss it. Rather than focus on what your friends don’t do for you, and how much more you wish they would do, it’s a fun switch to just try to embody all the values you want reciprocated in this life. — location: 2110

Except for one time. I held the door and this woman said, “I don’t need your help, man. Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean you need to hold the door.” I said, “I’m not holding the door because you’re a woman, I’m holding the door because I’m from Virginia. Get over it.” — location: 2116

Do the people in your life feel valued, loved, and appreciated? I know in my own life that if I feel valued and appreciated, my effort and my passion increase dramatically. — location: 2249

Maybe you don’t have 20. But if you start thanking the one or two that are faithful, don’t be surprised when you have got to make more time to thank people. Because more good people will find their way into your life. Value leaves a trail that is easy to find. — location: 2254

That’s why talking about pain in a constructive way can be so helpful. You quickly find out that, yes, your issue may be difficult, but when other eyes are on it and some new perspective is added, you realize it’s not as bad as you had previously thought. — location: 2314

Your brokenness can be a bridge to somebody else’s wholeness. — location: 2421

It’s one thing to share about your success stories. It’s an even better thing to encourage people who may be on a similar journey and could use the encouragement that comes with knowing they are not alone in some common struggles. Your losses in life will resonate with far more people than your wins ever will. — location: 2423

Sure, I have heard it before. But there is something about current need that plays into urgent receptivity. — location: 2484

I told her that it is in fact not normal to acclimate oneself to dysfunction. Which is what happens when you are around unhealthy people for so long: You become unhealthy yourself. You accept and tolerate things simply because they have persisted for so long. — location: 2500

The road to health starts with ownership. The word victim looks really similar to the word victory. — location: 2504

Once you know about something, you’re accountable for what you do about that something. — location: 2531

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” — location: 2593

Not all people who are misguided are evil and stupid. Quite often it’s just a case of lack of exposure to knowledge that we take for granted. Putting yourself in a position to be aware of views, feelings, and experiences costs you nothing except your comfort. But sometimes being aware that you have been unaware can be the best kind of uncomfortable—because it makes a position change vital. — location: 2603

But whoever said you had to agree with every single thing about anything? I’m pretty sure I don’t even agree with myself about me often. — location: 2638

So many people are focused on changing what they do. That can be helpful, without a doubt. But not as many people are focused on changing what they think. And what they think is causing what they do. — location: 2644

Because each matters in accordance with the other, and culture is very similar to a play or show you might go to see. You pay to watch it, and if you like it enough you start living like the show you like the most. — location: 2677

Laura and I reject the notion that we need to demonize things in order to protect our kids from them. — location: 2706

Right now, what is “superhot” is a trend that can be best described as “backlash to boxes.” Meaning labels we put on people, or boxes we force people to fit into—from race to religion to sexuality to political persuasion—are literally blowing up. — location: 2732

To follow Jesus, literally step one means to eradicate the “my truth” from your life. My desires I have to put to death. My wants, my happiness are not my driving force. God’s promise is that as I die to “my truth,” I day by day begin forming my life, my identity into His truth and His will. — location: 2807

“My truth,” ultimately, is to serve others for the rest of my life, with my life. So if I am wrong? I missed well. — location: 2817

One of the best ways to determine the health of your own soul is to ask whether you are changing your environment or is your environment changing you. — location: 2892

But each moment you allow our world to influence you leads to another. And each moment you confront it and take inventory of it leads to another moment as well. — location: 2901

I love the stretch of road in life where you can gooooooo. We all do. But it’s just not realistic to think that we can live for those moments in our journey. We have to be able to slow down, take it all in, enjoy what’s around, because most of our journey that matters is going to take a while. — location: 2926

Relationships that were headed somewhere have ended prematurely because somebody got impatient and tried to skip a line. Dreams that were coming to fruition stopped growing because a “quicker, better option” showed up and somebody couldn’t resist. Sometimes the slower, unspectacular line leads to the thing you’re after. Shorter is not always better. — location: 2944

Peace is an option for you. Love is an option for you. Joy is an option for you. But you have to make the choices today to order those. There is no reason to envy another life when you have the right to access the same things they do. — location: 2976

He said, “I’m speaking to the universe. I’m putting out good vibes. I need them to come back tenfold this week. It’s a big week.” I told my friend, “Let’s go have a coffee. We need to talk. Tell the universe you will be right back.” — location: 3061

The truth is that sometimes we are going to do what’s right and in return receive what’s wrong. This puts the emphasis on the “why” we do what we do in the first place. — location: 3074

The key word here is some. Separating an incident from becoming a life theme is important. Especially when we have been wounded or let down by people. — location: 3092

This lie will keep you out of love, out of hope, out of relationships that matter. We have to learn how to fix a factor in the equation without blowing up the concept of “math.” Nobody would go to a restaurant and have a bad experience and say, “A’ight. No more food for me, ever.” Food is not the issue. Where you pick to eat the food is. Wisdom destroys this lie. Don’t allow what may be legitimately painful parts of your life to set the tone for the rest of it. — location: 3095

A lie you have learned to live with and function with; although you are surviving, you are in no way thriving like you could be. Truth forces complete and total change. It may be unsettling at first, but building your life on what is true, what is right? Ends up creating a life you don’t have to “dress up or modify.” You will be excited to let it stand out on its own. Build your life, one truth at a time. — location: 3133

Make no mistake, the need is great. But I believe our opportunity is greater. — location: 3148

I was asked, “Are you guys gonna reach a city of millions?” I said, “I’m not worried about the millions. I’m worried about the ones. As in each one. One by one.” — location: 3167

Sometimes the spotlight will shine on us, and sometimes the shadows of life will consume us. We don’t have much control over that. All we can do is make sure we are doing the same thing, no matter what. Doing what we can, while we can. Not for credit, not for fame, not for money, not for popularity. In fact, true change often comes at the expense of one or all of those things. — location: 3191

He said, “I wish that SOMEBODY. WOULD. HAVE. TOLD. ME. SOONER. I see all these people, singing so loud, talking about Jesus, looking so happy. Nobody ever told me nothing. And I would have listened! I was searching my whole life! I’m glad I’m here now. I’m glad God didn’t give up on me. But I wasted so many years. I’ve been through so much pain. I just wish somebody would have told me sooner.” — location: 3207

But I think the option to own the moment is so good that when the rain does fall? You might smile about it. — location: 3219

We have made bringing change to our world so complex that many people never even try. And yes, the problems we face are huge, but the steps and the moments we need to take to get there are small, they are frequent, and they are available for anybody who is willing to take small steps that will lead to major significance someday. What will be the one thing you will do today that could make a huge difference in the life of another? If you leave it to “just happen,” I have found that it actually rarely ever happens. Conversely, if you prepare to be a blessing to others I have found that it leads to a road where you end up doing more than you set out to do. If you woke up tomorrow and decided to “own a moment,” literally a single act of kindness and thoughtfulness toward another, I believe the impact on your life will be significant. We have all heard people tell a story, and they say, “Well, you know. One thing led to another.” You can’t have the latter without the former. Doing everything? Impossible. Doing something is completely reasonable. Create moments. Own moments. Remember moments. We don’t get a second shot at this life, and my prayer for you is that you would never underestimate the power of the moments you control. I have endeavored to live my life in such a way where I rarely have to say, “I missed it.” I want to be able to say, “I owned it. I made the most of it.” The best part of your story has yet to be written. Make sure you write it, with passion and purpose. — location: 3232